Washington, D.C. -- The Animal Welfare Institute congratulates Governor Eddie Baza Calvo of Guam for signing Bill 44-31 into law, prohibiting any person from possessing, selling or distributing shark fins in the territory.
"We are thrilled that Guam has taken this crucial action to protect sharks" said Cathy Liss, AWI president. "Governor Calvo and the bill’s champions are to be applauded," she added. AWI had submitted testimony in support of the bill in January.

Washington, D.C. -- The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) have petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to amend the U.S. animal export regulations to include “fitness to travel” requirements for all farmed animals exported to any foreign country except those traveling overland to Canada or Mexico.

Washington, D.C. -- As celebrations begin for "A Taste of Iceland" in the nation’s capital this week, Animal Welfare Institute, Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United States do not celebrate the fact that Iceland continues to kill whales for commercial purposes in spite of an international ban on commercial whaling.

Arcadia, California -- A coalition of national and local organizations including Project Coyote, the San Gabriel Friends of Wildlife, the Animal Welfare Institute, and the Angeles Chapter of Sierra Club praised the Arcadia City Council for their unanimous vote Tuesday night to end the city’s coyote trapping program by the end of the month.

Washington, D.C. -- On Friday, February 4, Animal Welfare Institute President Cathy Liss will give a presentation entitled “Informing Policy: The Responsibility of Scientists Conducting Research on Animals” at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in Arlington, Virginia.
Cathy’s presentation is part of the "Neuroscience and Non-Speciesist Neuroethics: Implications for Animal Welfare and the Responsible Conduct of Research” symposium, hosted by the Potomac Institute in conjunction with the Capital Consortium for Neuroscience: Ethical, Legal and Social Issues.

Washington, D.C. -- The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is pleased to report that President Barack Obama signed the Shark Conservation Act into law. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives passed the bill in the last days of the 111th Congress, approving the long-awaited measure by unanimous consent. The president’s signature makes the law official.

Washington, D.C. -- Nineteen conservation and animal welfare groups, representing tens of millions of U.S. citizens, today called on the Secretaries of Commerce and Interior to impose trade sanctions against Iceland for its escalating defiance of international conservation agreements on commercial whaling.

Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report highlighting serious shortcomings in enforcement of the Horse Protection Act - shortcomings that have permitted widespread abuse of show horses.

Washington, D.C. -- A new report by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) - Humane Slaughter Update: Comparing State and Federal Enforcement of Humane Slaughter Laws - indicates that, more than two years after the shocking depiction of inhumane practices at the Westland-Hallmark slaughter plant in California, enforcement of humane slaughter laws has increased at both the state and federal levels, but remains inconsistent and low i